The afternoon was spoiled. Puzzled and uneasy, feeling as if the stranger was still watching her, Emily collected her horse and groom and rode down to the Dower House. Mr Kavanagh was nowhere to be seen, and when she questioned Sam Lilley she learned that no one had passed through the gates in the last few minutes. In fact, apart from herself and her groom, no one had come or gone all afternoon.
‘I thought we’d done with them vagrants, Miss Winbolt. With all the work goin’ on, the house is not as empty as it was in the old days. I thought we’d frightened ’em off.’
‘This was no vagrant, Sam. He looked quite prosperous—and he behaved quite as if he had every right to be here until I pressed him.’
‘Sir William never told me of any friends of his who might visit—always excepting yourselves and Lady Deardon, o’course.’
‘And don’t forget Mrs Fenton, too, Sam,’ Mrs Lilley said. ‘She was here with Sir William not long ago.’ She turned to Emily and added in a confidential tone, ‘Though I don’t think we’ll see her here again. They had words, they did. I’ve never seen the master look so put out.’
Sam looked annoyed. ‘Be quiet, woman! That’s nothing to do with us. I’ve warned you before not to gossip about what the master does or doesn’t do.’ He turned back to Emily. ‘I’m sorry, ma’am. Mary means well, but it’s a bit quiet for her here. She likes a chat. She’ll be happier when there’s more life about the place. But I don’t know what to say about the fellow in the garden. I could try to get more men to help me keep an eye on things, perhaps.’
Emily agreed with this, and then set off back to Shearings.
Once home she consulted Philip, but he had not heard of any strangers, nor did Emily’s description of the man at Charlwood fit any of their neighbours’ visitors.
‘I’ll ask around,’ he said. ‘He may be a genuine friend of Ashenden’s, but I’m inclined to agree with you, Emmy. I don’t like the sound of him. Tomorrow I’ll send one of the men over to help Sam Lilley. Charlwood is a big place to look after, especially when it has to be left open for the workmen. Meanwhile, I’d advise you not to go over there again with only your groom for company. Not till Ashenden is back, at least.’ He looked at his sister’s face and smiled. ‘Don’t look so despondent. It won’t be long now.’
Deprived of any further visits to Charlwood, Emily once again took to wandering disconsolately round the gardens at Shearings, but just three days later she was re turning to the house when a familiar figure appeared at the end of the path.
Any remaining doubts about her feelings for William Ashenden were put to flight when she saw him. She stopped, unable to breathe, over whelmed by a wave of pure delight. She watched as he started to walk towards her, and she had to fight to stand still, to stop herself from running to meet him and throwing herself into his arms.
Her heart turned over as he reached her. ‘Emily,’ he said, his eyes wrinkling as he smiled at her. He took both her hands in his and repeated more softly, ‘Emily.’ It sounded almost like a caress. His voice was slightly deeper than she remembered, but it was still so familiar, so dear.
She stared at him, her mind so full of what she must not say that for several moments she found it impossible to speak. Finally she said stupidly, ‘You’re back.’
He grinned, then said gravely, ‘Yes, I do believe I’m back.’
He was laughing at her! Emily made a huge effort and pulled herself together. ‘Did you…did you have a successful journey?’ she asked coolly, removing her hands from his.
William shook his head and took her hands again. ‘No, no, that won’t do at all, Emily. That’s too cold. You mustn’t sound like Miss Winbolt. Not with me. You should say something like, “I’m so glad to see you, William. I’ve missed you so much…” Something like that.’ His arms went round her and he said softly, ‘Or should I say it first? I’ve missed you, Emily. I’ve missed you abominably. Every day.’
It was an effort, but she ignored the warm hap pi ness that flooded through her and managed to say with commendable calm, ‘I missed you, too, sir. And I am very glad to see you. There’s so much to talk about.’ He was shaking his head again in protest at her matter-of-fact tone, but she turned to walk back along the path and went on firmly, ‘You must tell me first how the children are after their long journey. When did you all arrive at Thirle?’
‘Yesterday. I gave them a day to settle down before leaving them with the Deardons while I came over to see you. You shall meet them very soon. Lady Deardon hopes you could pay her a visit tomorrow, in fact.’
‘That’s kind of her. I’d love to meet your wards, though I confess I’m quite nervous, too.’
‘There’s no need.’ William’s voice very seldom lost its teasing note, but now he was quite serious as he said, ‘They are just two lost children, Emily. They’ve left everything that was familiar behind in Jamaica. Just a couple of years ago they had two loving parents and a comfortable, if not particularly wealthy, home. Now all that has gone, and after months of uncertainty they have been brought to England and handed over to an uncle they hardly remember. They need security, and that is what I intend to give them.’
‘They’ll need more than that,’ Emily said involuntarily.
‘Love? Yes. That’s what I want from you.’ Emily’s eyes flew to his, but he went on, ‘Love for the children.’
‘Of course.’ If her words sounded somewhat flat, he made no sign that he had noticed.
The next day Emily drove over to Thirle alone. She and Rosa had discussed whether they should go as a family, but between them they had decided that too many strangers at once might be intimidating for the young Ashendens.
William had obviously been watching for her, for when the carriage came to a halt he was there at the door. He helped her out, took her hands in his and pressed them, smiling that special smile of his, which always sent a warm glow through her. He raised an eyebrow in query and she nodded. Then, taking a deep breath, she turned. The children stood at the entrance, close to each other, a boy of about eight, and a girl a couple of years younger. The boy’s arm was resting protectively round the little girl’s shoulders. They gazed at Emily, their eyes large with apprehension, as she advanced towards them. William said, ‘Miss Winbolt, I’d like you to meet James and Laura Ashenden.’
Emily smiled at them and held out her hand. There was a pause, then James stepped forward and asked with a touch of truculence, ‘Are you my uncle’s friend?’
A little nonplussed, Emily nodded and said, ‘Well, yes. Yes, I suppose I am.’
Laura joined her brother in front of Emily. Huge, blue eyes gazed up at her. ‘Are we really going to be sent away to school?’ she whispered.
Emily looked helplessly at William, but he remained silent, challenging her to find her own answer. She looked at the children standing in front of her, clasping hands so tightly that the knuckles showed. The boy looked ready to fight the world, his jaw set, his lower lip thrust forward belligerently. His sister’s little mouth was trembling, huge eyes, the same dark blue as William’s, full of apprehension. Emily’s heart melted when she saw that the child was trembling. She knelt down and drew Laura to her. ‘Whatever put that into your head?’ she asked. ‘I know for a fact that your uncle has a very pretty room at the Dower House meant just for you. And there’s another for James, too. But would you prefer to go to school?’
A smile broke like sunshine through clouds. Black curls bobbed vigorously as Laura shook her head. ‘No, I don’t p’fer it. James doesn’t, too. But she said—’
‘Who is that, Laura?’ asked William. ‘Who is “she”?’
James answered him. ‘It was Dolores. Mrs Warburton’s maid. She said we were very naughty children and our uncle wouldn’t want to be bothered with us. He’d send us away to school and we would never see each other again, ever.’
‘Then the lady in this house here said that you were Uncle William’s friend, and I thought…’ Laura hesitated.
‘What did you
think, Laura?’
‘I thought perhaps you would ask him not to, ’cos people do things for friends, don’t they?’
‘Yes, they do. But in this case I shan’t even have to ask him. I am quite sure he wants you to live with him. You may have been very naughty with Dolores, but I wasn’t there, and neither was your uncle, so we don’t know. But I’m sure he wants to keep you with him, whatever she said. In any case, you will not be naughty in England. There’s so much to do at Charlwood you won’t have time. So that’s settled.’
Even James was smiling by this time, but she saw that they both looked cold, so she got up and held out her hands again. ‘Let’s go inside. I expect you find it chilly here after the West Indies.’ Laura took hold of the proffered hand without hesitation, but James hung back and looked at William. ‘Are you coming, too?’ he asked. Emily wondered with private amusement whether James was naturally aggressive, or just had that sort of voice. But William replied cheerfully, ‘Of course I am, my boy. Come on! Let’s all go inside together.’ They went through the doors into the hall where Lady Deardon was waiting.
The children stayed with Lady Deardon, but spent a lot of their time with William at Charlwood. Emily frequently joined them there, and before long they were completely at ease with her. While William inspected the progress his builders were making or discussed plans with the architect, the children ran laughing and shouting through the gardens under Emily’s watchful eye. On cooler days they played hide and seek inside the house, in the rooms that had been made safe. They loved what they called treasure hunting, and frequently brought her bits and pieces that had been left behind many years before by the previous occupants—anything from an old hairpin to a silver-handled walking stick, which they found under one of the floor boards. James was particularly proud of one find, and asked Emily if he might keep it to hang on the wall in his bedroom.
‘What is it, James? Show me.’
James produced a small canvas and when it was dusted they saw that it was a picture of the garden. Emily exclaimed in delight when she saw it and told James he must show it to his uncle. ‘Look! It’s a picture of the fountain! And it’s exactly as I imagined it. We can use this picture as a guide for when we rebuild it! James, you are a clever boy. May I keep it safe for the moment? Later, if your uncle agrees, of course you may put it on your wall!’
Encouraged by this discovery the children re doubled their efforts, but never again found anything so exciting.
The mysterious Mr Kavanagh did not appear again, and when Emily asked William about his ‘school friend,’ he said he was sure he didn’t know anyone of that name. He was equally sure that no one had been asked to look at the structure of the fountain, either. He examined the soil that had been disturbed round the fountain, and James and Laura were convinced that someone had been looking for buried treasure. The children even dug up more of the ground, but the only result was two very dirty children and a bigger pile of uninformative soil. Nothing else. It all remained a mystery.
William said he didn’t like mysteries, and brought forward the plans for working on the gardens, engaging extra local men to do the work. The work had already been planned as part of the general scheme for Charlwood, but the presence of the men working on it also meant that any daytime intruders would find it difficult to remain unseen for long.
Soon it was assumed that Emily was part of the Ashenden team, and when William once or twice went to London, he brought the children over to Shearings to be with her rather than leave them with Lady Deardon. In no time at all the neighbourhood was sure that an announcement of the engagement between Emily Winbolt and William Ashenden could be expected before the month was out. There were many who were genuinely glad at the prospect of hap pi ness for Emily Winbolt, and looked forward to seeing her at last the mistress of an establishment of her own. They also wished Sir William success in his ambitions for Charlwood. There were one or two of the more hard-headed, of course, who added with a significant nod that he had chosen the right wife for such an enterprise.
But Maria Fenton was not one of the well-wishers. She arrived, ostensibly to pay a visit to Rosa, on a day when she knew William was on one of his excursions to London, but when the time came for her to leave she asked Emily to walk with her to the carriage. ‘I’ve been told you are an expert in gardening,’ she said. ‘I would like to consult you about some plants I have just received.’
The excuse seemed very feeble, but, unable to think of a reason why she should not oblige a guest, Emily reluctantly went with her.
‘I intended to ask William about these plants some time ago when he was showing me the gardens at Charlwood,’ Mrs Fenton began. ‘But the visit ended rather awkwardly.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that. But I doubt he would have been of much help. He doesn’t yet know a lot about plants,’ said Emily with a smile.
‘I suppose it was foolish of me. And to tell the truth, I wasn’t really there to see the gardens, but the house. William and I had so often discussed it and he had asked for my advice—he knows I am something of an expert in deco rating. But after what happened I felt I couldn’t help him any longer.’
‘Oh? Why not?’
‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly tell you.’
Emily looked at her in surprise and didn’t believe that for one moment. Though Rosa appeared to enjoy her old friend’s company, she herself had never liked Mrs Fenton, and suspected that this feeling was returned in full measure. Why, she had no idea. In this instance the woman was obviously eager to tell, and hoping to be pressed, but Emily had little wish to satisfy her. Instead she said earnestly, ‘In that case, my dear Mrs Fenton, I wouldn’t dream of asking you to say another word.’
A brief look of annoyance flashed over Mrs Fenton’s face. Then she said, ‘It is only because I was taught at an early age not to boast of my con quests, especially when I have had to disappoint the gentleman in question.’
‘An admirable lesson, and one with which I heartily agree. So…?’
‘But I know I can rely on you, Miss Winbolt, not to spread it further. You see, Sir William was on the point of asking me to marry him some time ago, and I did not wish to encourage him. I am sure you can under stand my doubts more than others would. Women like us, in possession of a fortune, learn all too soon how often we are loved not for ourselves but for what we can bring with us.’
Emily began to under stand why she had been brought out for a private chat. Plants, indeed! She said coolly, ‘Forgive me, but am I to under stand that you seriously believe Sir William Ashenden would propose to you merely because of your fortune? You under rate your own charms, Mrs Fenton.’
‘Oh, he might well have been attracted to me. Most men are. But in this case it wasn’t enough to reassure me. You see, I happen to know that Charlwood is positively devouring money. I even wonder whether William’s own re sources are actually running out. Have you noticed that the building work has recently come to a halt? I had no wish to see my own fortune going the same way as his. It was very awkward, especially as I feel so sorry for him, saddled as he is with his pauper niece and nephew. If they really are his niece and nephew. The girl is very like him, is she not? But now I can forget my worries. I was so relieved when I heard that he was to be saved by…someone else.’ She laughed gaily. ‘At one time he told me your visits to Charlwood were just a matter of business. I thought it was the gardens he was talking about, but now…the business was more serious than that, don’t you think? What a clever man he is to be sure.’
Emily found herself suddenly trembling with rage. She coldly regarded the woman before her. ‘Sir William Ashenden is one of the kindest, most honourable, most scrupulous men I have ever known. Whereas you, Mrs Fenton… Let me be more honest with you than you have been with me. I believe your purpose in coming here today was to destroy my friend ship with a man I trust and admire. But I don’t believe you. I don’t believe Sir William was remotely tempted to ask you to marry him, and certainly not because he wish
ed to acquire your fortune. I am quite certain that he would not ask anyone to marry him merely for her money.’
‘Not even you?’
‘Me least of all. Goodbye.’ Emily turned and walked swiftly into the house.
Chapter Eight
‘You were longer than I expected,’ said Rosa when Emily came in. ‘Were you able to help Maria with her plants…? Emily!’
Emily had been lost in her thoughts. Now she looked up. ‘What was that?’
‘Mrs Fenton—were you able to help her?’
‘I…I think so.’
Rosa looked at her more closely. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I was just asking myself… Rosa, am I being a fool?’
‘I shouldn’t think so,’ said her sister-in-law cautiously. ‘You’re usually very sensible. But I can’t say until I know what you’re talking about. Come over here, sit down, and tell me why you think you are being a fool.’
‘First I must tell you that William wants me to marry him.’
‘Good! Though I can’t pretend I’m surprised. You and he—’
‘Oh, no! Please don’t think it is one of your great romances. He doesn’t pretend he loves me. It would be a purely practical arrangement. As he has pointed out, he needs a wife to run Charlwood and look after the children, and I…I would have the establishment of my own that I said I wanted.’
‘Really? And?’
‘I have all but made up my mind to agree, but now… I’m not sure whether I would be doing the right thing! I had been starting to think I would never marry and was quite happy to look for some where to live independently, near you, without any sort of husband. And now…if I agree to this proposal of his, I will be putting myself, my hap pi ness, my life even, into the hands of a man I hardly know. At the moment it seems to me this might be extremely foolish.’
Miss Winbolt and the Fortune Hunter Page 11
